Cancer cell lysosomal membrane

The cancer cell lysosomal membrane is a critical organelle boundary that separates potent hydrolytic enzymes from the cytoplasm. In many cancer types, lysosomes undergo significant transformations, including enlargement and increased fragility due to altered lipid composition and protein expression, such as the downregulation of Heat Shock Protein 70 (HSP70) (Nylandsted et al., Nature, 2004). This increased fragility makes the cancer cell lysosomal membrane a vulnerable target for therapeutic intervention. Drugs targeting this structure typically act as lysosomotropic agents or cationic amphiphilic drugs that induce Lysosomal Membrane Permeabilization (LMP) (Aits and Jäättelä, Journal of Cell Science, 2013). When the membrane's integrity is compromised, cathepsins and other proteases leak into the cytosol, initiating a cascade that leads to lysosomal cell death, a pathway that can bypass traditional apoptosis resistance in tumor cells (Boya and Kroemer, Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, 2008). Consequently, targeting the lysosomal membrane offers a strategy to eliminate multidrug-resistant cancer cells that are otherwise refractory to standard chemotherapy.

Other names

Lysosomal membraneCancer-specific lysosomal membraneTumor lysosomal membraneLysosomal limiting membrane

Induction of Lysosomal Membrane Permeabilization (LMP) leading to the release of hydrolytic enzymes, specifically cathepsins, into the cytosol. This leakage triggers lysosomal cell death (LCD) through both apoptotic and non-apoptotic pathways, bypassing traditional mitochondrial apoptosis resistance (Boya and Kroemer, Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, 2008).